France Says UN is Sole body to Decide on Iraqi Weapons Declaration

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, December 19, 2002

France Says UN is Sole body to Decide on Iraqi Weapons Declaration

French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said Wednesday that it is up to the United Nations Security Council to decide on possible omissions in Iraq's weapons declaration.

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French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said Wednesday that it is up to the United Nations Security Council to decide on possible omissions in Iraq's weapons declaration.

"In the case of serious breach of obligations on Baghdad's part,Mr. (Hans) Blix and Mr. (Mohamed) El Baradei will report to the UNSecurity Council and it is solely up to the Security Council to reach any and all conclusions," said de Villepin.

Blix, head of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), is to issue a preliminary assessment of the Iraqi declaration to the Security Council on Thursday.

El Baradei, who heads the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the nuclear inspection in Iraq, said Wednesday that there is "no proof concerning the development of a nuclear program in Iraq since 1998."

Thursday's UN meeting is "an important step, but it is but one step toward the objective of Iraq disarmament," said de Villepin.

"France will take full part in the debate. France reaffirms itsfull confidence in the work of Mr. Blix and Mr. El Baradei," he added.

"For France, the key is to demand the cooperation of Iraq," he said. "If certain insufficiency was observed in the Iraqi declaration, all power mandated to inspectors must be used to proceed with the destruction of weapons."

United States President George W. Bush has expressed his preoccupation concerning omissions and problems in Iraq's weapons declaration, which was turned over to the United Nations on Dec. 8.

Britain also said Iraq's declaration was an "obvious falsehood"and contained "obvious omissions."

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